Erosion Control Installation Frame and Method

ABSTRACT

A frame for cradling a rolled surface covering during installation onto a ground surface, including first and second spaced-apart end panels, a surface covering support base extending between the first and second spaced-apart panels and adapted for holding the rolled surface covering during installation. At least one lower roller extends along the support base between the first and second spaced-apart end panels at a level above the support base, and at least one upper roller extends along the support base between the first and second spaced-apart end panels at a level above the support base and is vertically spaced-apart from the at least one lower roller. The space defines a gap extending along a length of the at least one lower roller and the at least one upper roller through which a free end of the rolled surface covering is extended during installation onto the ground surface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This utility patent application claims priority from U.S. applicationSer. No. 16/931,834, filed Jul. 17, 2020 and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/882,156, filed Aug. 2, 2019, the contents of whichare incorporated by reference in this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a frame for holding a roll of erosion controlsurface covering and method for installing erosion control surfacecoverings. Specifically this invention pertains to installation oferosion control surface coverings which are initially rolled or folded.

Controlling erosion of land is vital in a wide variety of applications.Many governmental entities have environmental and safety regulationspertaining to erosion control on land being developed. Conservationbuffers are used to protect water and soil quality in agricultureapplications such as farms. Water runoff and erosion control of slopedland is often necessary for protecting buildings and land duringconstruction.

One of the primary and least expensive types of erosion control issurface coverings such blankets or mattings made of a range of naturaland man-made materials. Often these products are sold in rolls.Typically the width of the roll necessitates using one roll multipletimes up and down an incline to cover a space larger than the rollwidth. The end user is tasked with unrolling the surface covering in thedesired location, cutting the covering and then bringing the roll backup the hill to unroll over another section. Unrolling these materials isoften a manual, laborious task as these rolls can be large and heavy,requiring several individuals to manually unroll the material incoordination with each other.

Other less frequently used devices have been used, such as specificallydesigned vehicles that unroll as the vehicle moves, or attaching therolled covering to a construction vehicle such as a tractor. However,these devices require that the rolled surface cover have a center coreinto which a rotatable axle can be inserted. Many commercial surfacecovering products do not have a center core and are incompatible withthese unrolling devices.

There is a need for a frame for simplifying and reducing the laborneeded to install surface coverings in roll form on a ground surface.

There is also a need for a frame for installing surface coverings inroll form which is relatively inexpensive, simple to use, and capable ofaccommodating surface covers in roll form with and without a centercore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a framefor installing erosion control surface covering without a center core.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a frame forinstalling erosion control surface covering that is simple to use,inexpensive, effective and transportable. These and other objects andadvantages of the present invention are achieved in the preferredembodiments set forth below by providing a frame for cradling a rolledsurface covering during installation onto a ground surface, includingfirst and second spaced-apart end panels, a surface covering supportbase extending between the first and second spaced-apart panels andadapted for holding the rolled surface covering during installation. Atleast one lower roller extends along the support base between the firstand second spaced-apart end panels at a level above the support base,and at least one upper roller extends along the support base between thefirst and second spaced-apart end panels at a level above the supportbase and is vertically spaced-apart from the at least one lower roller.The space defines a gap extending along a length of the at least onelower roller and the at least one upper roller through which a free endof the rolled surface covering is extended during installation onto theground surface.

According to one aspect of the invention, the support base comprisesfirst and second laterally spaced-apart elongate support membersextending along the length of the at least one lower roller and the atleast one upper roller.

According to another aspect of the invention, the first and secondelongate support members comprise cylindrical pipes.

According to another aspect of the invention, the at least one lowerroller and the at least one upper roller each comprise cylindricalpipes.

According to another aspect of the invention, a frame for cradling arolled surface covering is provided and includes first and second lowerrollers positioned in laterally spaced-apart relation between the firstand second spaced-apart end panels and first and second upper rollerspositioned in laterally spaced-apart relation between the first andsecond spaced-apart end panels and above the first and second lowerrollers to define respective first and second gaps through which thefree end of the rolled surface covering is extended during installationonto the ground surface.

According to another aspect of the invention, the at least one lowerroller and the at least one upper roller are mounted for rotation as thesurface covering is pulled through the gap during installation.

According to another aspect of the invention, wheels supporting theframe are provided for rolling movement of the frame between surfacecovering installation locations.

According to another aspect of the invention, a frame is provided forcradling a rolled surface covering during installation onto a groundsurface, and includes first and second spaced-apart end panels and asurface covering support base extending between the first and secondspaced-apart panels and comprising first and second laterallyspaced-apart elongate support members extending along the length of theframe and adapted for holding the rolled surface covering duringinstallation. First and second lower cylindrical rollers are positionedin laterally spaced-apart relation between the first and secondspaced-apart end panels and mounted for rotation as the surface coveringis pulled through the gap during installation. First and second uppercylindrical rollers are mounted for rotation and positioned in laterallyspaced-apart relation between the first and second spaced-apart endpanels and above the first and second lower rollers to define respectivefirst and second gaps through which the free end of the rolled surfacecovering is extended during installation onto the ground surface.

According to another aspect of the invention, a frame for cradling arolled surface covering during installation onto a ground surface isprovided and includes first and second spaced-apart end panels defininga frame length and first and second spaced-apart side beams connected toand extending between the first and second spaced-apart end panels. Abase is positioned between and extending along the frame length of thefirst and second spaced-apart side beams and defining a support bed fora rolled surface covering to be installed from the frame. At least onelower roller extends along the support base between the first and secondspaced-apart end panels at a level above the support base. At least oneupper roller extends along the support base between the first and secondspaced-apart end panels at a level above the support base and verticallyspaced-apart from the at least one lower roller to define a gapextending along a length of the at least one lower roller and the atleast one upper roller through which a free end of the rolled surfacecovering is extended during installation onto the ground surfaces.Wheels are connected to and support the frame proximate at least one ofthe end panels for rolling movement of the frame between surfacecovering installation locations.

According to another aspect of the invention, a post having a foot isconnected to and supports an end of the frame opposite the wheels.

According to another aspect of the invention, a frame for cradling arolled surface covering includes a handle mounted on an end of the frameto allow the frame to be manually maneuvered as needed

According to another aspect of the invention, space adjustors areprovided for adjusting the space between the lower and upper rollers tovary the width of the gap.

According to another aspect of the invention, the space adjustors areadapted to vary the width of the gap by varying the lateral spacingbetween the lower and upper rollers.

According to another aspect of the invention a method is provided forinstalling a rolled erosion protective surface covering onto a groundsurface, and including the steps of providing a frame having twospaced-apart end panels, a base extending between the end panels andadapted to support the rolled surface covering, a least one lower rollerconnected to and extending between the end panels and positioned at apredetermined distance above the base, at least one upper rollerconnected on each end to and extending between the end panels andpositioned at a predetermined distance above the lower roller to definea gap through which a free end of the surface covering is adapted to bepositioned for installation onto a ground surface. A rolled erosionprotective surface covering is positioned onto the base. The free end ofthe surface covering is extended through the gap defined by the lowerroller and the upper roller. The rolled erosion protective surfacecovering is unrolled by pulling the free end of the rolled surfacecovering through the gap and depositing it on the ground surface.

According to another aspect of the invention, the space between thelower and upper rollers is varied to vary the width of the gap.

According to another aspect of the invention, the frame is supported onwheels to facilitate movement of the frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The present invention is best understood when the following detaileddescription of the invention is read with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a frame for installing erosion controlsurface covers according to one embodiment of the invention, showing aroll of erosion control surface cover positioned in the frame;

FIG. 2 is an end perspective view of the frame of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the frame of FIG. 1 with parts broken away forclarity;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a frame forinstalling erosion control surface covers,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 4 as viewed from theopposite side and end from the view of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an end perspective view of the frame of FIG. 4, showing a rollof erosion control surface cover positioned in the frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a frame 10 for installing erosion controlsurface covers is shown. The frame 10 has two end panels 12, 14, upperrotatable rollers 16, 18, and two lower rotatable rollers 20, 22. Thefour rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 span the distance between end panels 12, 14and cradle a rolled surface covering “C”. The rollers 16, 18, 20 and 22also define the length of the frame 10 and serve to unite the end panels12, 14 into a single unit. The surface covering “C” is able to rotateand dispense the covering C when one end of the roll of surface covering“C” is drawn away from the frame 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thesurface covering “C” is fed between a gap “G” defined between the upperroller 16 and the lower roller 20, and through which the surfacecovering “C” passes. The frame 10 maintains a stationary position on theground as the rolled surface covering “C” is applied to the ground bypulling it by its free end through the gap “G” between the rollers 16and 20. Of course, the rolled surface covering “C” can be placed in theframe 10 with its free end extending in the opposite direction, in whichcase the free end of the surface covering “C” will be extended and fedthrough the gap “G” defined by the upper roller 18 and lower roller 22.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 are connectedon opposing ends to the end panels 12, 14 through openings in the endpanels 12, 14. In one preferred embodiment, the rollers 16, 18, 20, 22are formed of PVC pipe with a diameter of, for example, 4 in (10 cm).Optionally, the portion of the rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 extending to theoutside of the end panels 12, 14 are also PVC pipe and may have adiameter of 2 in (5 cm) which are connected together with cone adaptersor other suitable fasteners. As shown in FIG. 3, bolts 30 pass througheach roller 16, 18, 20, 22 outside of the end panels 12, 14 and lock theend panels 12, 14 and the rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 together in a unit.

The rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 may be constructed of other materials, forexample other plastics, resins or metals. The rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 maybe connected pieces of differing diameters or one molded piece havingdifferent diameters along the length. One or more of the rollers 16, 18,20, 22 may be solid or hollow. One or more of the rollers 16, 18, 20, 22may have a series of smaller rollers to improve the ability to unrollthe rolled surface covering C. The rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 may be halfrounded or crescent shaped. Lubricant may be applied to the openings oronto the rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 to decrease friction.

In other embodiments, the rotation of the rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 may befacilitated by use of ball bearing assemblies. In this configuration therollers 16, 18, 20, 22 may include shafts free to rotate aboutcorresponding bushings, not shown. Other suitable rotatable connectionsare within the scope of the invention.

The upper rollers 16, 18 are positioned with a predetermined height anda predetermined distance apart such that they prevent the rolled surfacecovering “C” from rolling up and out of the frame 10. The upper roller16 also provides tension during unrolling of the rolled surface covering“C”. In one example the ends of the upper rollers 16, 18 are 2 inch PVCpipes, are 13 in (33 cm) to 15 in (38 cm) apart and 9 in (23 cm) to 11in (28 cm) above the base of the end frames 12, 14. A removable latch 36may be positioned over a portion of the end panel 12, 14 opening for theupper roller 16. This latch 36 may be removed to insert the upper roller16 once the rolled surface covering C has been placed into the frame 10.Upper roller 16 is captured in a U-shaped opening 38.

The upper roller 18 may be adjusted to reduce or increase the distancefrom the front roller 16 to accommodate surface coverings “C” havingdiffering diameters. An “L” bracket 32 is positioned over a notch in theend panels 12, 14 and a bolt 34 may be removed to shift to make theadjustment and reinserted to secure the desired position. It is alsoenvisioned that the upper roller 18 may have more than two adjustablepositions and other suitable means by which to adjust. The upper roller16 may also be adjustable in a similar or different suitable fashion.One or both of the front roller 16 and rear roller 18 may also be heightadjustable in order to accommodate different sized surface coverings“C”.

The two lower rollers 20, 22 are positioned below and between the upperrollers 16, 18. The rolled surface covering C is held out of contactwith the ground and supported by the two lower rollers 20, 22. In oneexample the ends of the lower rollers 20, 22 are 2 in (5 cm) PVC pipesand have a 5 in (13 cm) distance between centers. The distance betweenthe lower rollers 20, 22 may be different or adjustable, and the heightmay also be adjustable. It may also be desirable to have only one lowerroller or more than two lower rollers. The lower rollers may be of thesame or different diameters and may have different heights.

For additional rigidity to the frame 10, one or both lower rollers 20,22 may be non-rotating. Upper rollers 16, 18 may also be stationary forrigidity purposes as well. Any of the rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 may bestationary by being permanently or detachably affixed to the end panels12, 14. The rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 may also provide a user with theoption of rotating or being stationary.

The rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 may be interchangeable with rollers ofdifferent lengths for different rolled surface covers “C”, for example 8ft. (2.4 m) and 16 ft. (4.9 m) versions. The rollers 16, 18, 20, 22 mayalso have length extender attachments or be telescoping.

The end panels 14, 16 may be made of wood, aluminum, or any othersuitable material. The end panels 14, 16 may be flat plates or a seriesof supported and framed openings. Wheels may be attached to the bottomof the end plates to enable easy movement of the frame 10 once a heavyrolled surface covering 24 is cradled in the frame 10. These wheels mayaccommodate movement in multiple directions and may be detachable and/orlockable. Other convenience features such as stakes to prevent frame 10movement during usage and handles for ease of movement are envisioned.The frame 10 may be a single joined unit or may be easily disassembledfor transport and storage.

Operation of the frame 10 is designed to be simple and less labor to useas compared to manual installation of rolled surface covering “C”.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, another embodiment of the frame for holdinga roll of erosion control surface covering and method for installingerosion control surface coverings is shown and indicated broadly atreference numeral 50. This frame 50 is more in the nature of a trailer,and is fabricated of spaced-apart side beams 52, 54, a base 56 and endpanels 58, 60 with suitable bracing to form a box supported on one endby wheels 62, 64 and on the opposite end by a post 66 having a foot 68.The beams 53, 54 may be angled inwardly towards the bottom to define atrough shape facilitating rolling movement of the surface covering “C”.A tee-bar handle 70 is mounted on the post 66 and allows the frame 50 tobe manually maneuvered as needed. The base 56 forms a support for thesurface covering “C” against which the surface covering “C” rotates asit is dispensed.

A lower roller 72 and an upper roller 74 are mounted along one side ofthe frame 50, extending along the length of the frame 50 between the endpanels 58 and 60. As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 the rollers 72 and 74are vertically spaced-apart along their length and define a gap “G”through which a free end of a surface covering “C” is extended, andthrough which the surface covering “C” is dispensed, as is best shown inFIG. 4. The rollers 72 and 74 are secured by space adjustment brackets76 and 86, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. Explained withreference to space adjustment bracket 86 shown in FIG. 4, the rollers 72and 74 are laterally adjustable by varying the position of adjustmenthandles 88 and 90. By loosening handle 88 the roller 74 may be shiftedlaterally, having the effect of increasing or decreasing the width ofthe gap “G” through which the surface covering “C” is passed. In asimilar manner loosening the handle 90 permits the roller lower 72 to beshifted laterally, having the effect of increasing or decreasing thewidth of the gap “G”. Either or both of the rollers 72, 74 may beadjusted in this manner in order to obtain optimum spacing for thethickness and surface friction of the surface covering “C” being used.

The space adjustment bracket 76 shown in FIG. 5 operates in the samemanner as the space adjustment bracket 86 shown in FIG. 4 to vary thespacing of the lower and upper rollers 72 and 74 on the opposite end ofthe frame 50. Adjusting the width of the gap “G” by lateral movement ofthe lower and upper rollers 72 and 74 also permits the width of theopening between the upper roller 74 and the side beam 52 to be adjustedas needed to retain the surface covering “C” within the space defined bythe side beam 52 and the upper roller 74. Various materials, lengths anddimensions of the frame 50 and its components may be used and are withinthe scope of the invention, as discussed above in relation to the frame10 of FIGS. 1-3.

A frame for installing erosion protective surface coverings according tothe invention have been described with reference to specific embodimentsand examples. Various details of the invention may be changed withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoingdescription of the preferred embodiments of the invention and best modefor practicing the invention are provided for the purpose ofillustration only and not for the purpose of limitation, the inventionbeing defined by the claims.

I claim:
 1. A frame for cradling a roll of erosion control surfacecovering during installation onto a ground surface while the frame isstationary and the surface covering is manually unrolled from the rollof surface covering onto the ground surface, comprising: (a) first andsecond spaced-apart end panels; (b) a plurality of spaced-apart surfacecovering support base members extending between the first and secondspaced-apart end panels and adapted for supporting the roll of surfacecovering above the ground surface while the roll of erosion controlsurface covering is manually unrolled onto the ground surface; (c) atleast one lower roller extending along the support base between thefirst and second spaced-apart end panels at a level above the supportbase; and (d) at least one upper roller extending along the support basebetween the first and second spaced-apart end panels at a level abovethe plurality of support base members and vertically spaced-apart fromthe at least one lower roller to define a gap extending between a lengthof the at least one lower roller and the at least one upper rollerthrough which a free end of the rolled surface covering is adapted to bemanually extended while the roll of erosion control surface covering ismanually unrolled onto the ground surface.
 2. The frame for cradling aroll of surface covering according to claim 1, wherein the support basemembers comprise first and second laterally spaced-apart elongateannular support members extending along the length of the at least onelower roller and the at least one upper roller.
 3. The frame forcradling a roll of erosion control surface covering according to claim2, and including: (a) first and second lower rollers positioned inlaterally spaced-apart relation between the first and secondspaced-apart end panels; (b) first and second upper rollers positionedin laterally spaced-apart relation between the first and secondspaced-apart end panels and above the first and second lower rollers todefine an elongate gap through which the free end of the roll of surfacecovering is adapted to be manually extended and manually removed fromthe roll of surface covering and applied to the ground surface; and (c)space adjusters for adjusting the space between the first and secondlower rollers and the first and second_upper rollers to vary a width ofthe elongate gap.
 4. The frame for cradling a roll of surface coveringaccording to claim 3, wherein the at least one lower roller and the atleast one upper roller are mounted for rotation as the surface coveringis manually pulled through the elongate gap while being manuallyunrolled from the roll of surface covering onto the ground surface. 5.The frame for cradling a roll of surface covering according to claim 4,and including wheels supporting the frame for rolling movement of theframe between surface covering installation locations.
 6. A frame forcradling a roll of erosion control surface covering during installationonto a ground surface while the frame is stationary and the surfacecovering is manually unrolled from the roll of surface covering onto theground surface, comprising: (a) first and second spaced-apart end panelsdefining a frame length; (b) first and second spaced-apart side beamsconnected to and extending between the first and second spaced-apart endpanels; (c) a base positioned between and extending along the framelength of the first and second spaced-apart side beams and defining asupport bed for the roll of surface covering to be manually unrolledfrom the roll of surface covering onto the ground surface from theframe; (d) at least one lower roller extending along the support basebetween the first and second spaced-apart end panels at a level abovethe support base; (e) at least one upper roller extending along thesupport base between the first and second spaced-apart end panels at alevel above the support base and vertically spaced-apart from the atleast one lower roller to define a gap extending along a length of theat least one lower roller and the at least one upper roller throughwhich a free end of the rolled surface covering is extended duringinstallation onto the ground surface; wheels connected to and supportingthe frame proximate a first end of the frame for rolling movement of theframe between surface covering installation locations; and (g) a framesupport connected to and adapted to support a second end of the frame ona second end of the frame opposite the first end of the frame at aheight above the ground surface.
 7. The frame for cradling a roll oferosion control surface covering according to claim 6, and includingfirst and second space adjustors for adjusting the space between therespective lower and upper rollers to vary the width of the gap.
 8. Theframe for cradling a roll of erosion control surface covering accordingto claim 7, wherein the first and second space adjustors are adapted tovary the width of the gap by varying the lateral spacing between thelower and upper rollers.
 9. The method for manually unrolling andapplying a surface covering onto a ground surface from an elongate rollof surface covering carried on a frame while the frame is stationary,and including the steps of: (a) providing a frame having twospaced-apart end panels, a base extending between the end panels andadapted to support the rolled surface covering, at least one lowerroller connected to and extending between the end panels and positionedat a predetermined distance above the base, at least one upper rollerconnected on each end to and extending between the end panels andpositioned at a predetermined distance above the at least one lowerroller to define an elongate gap through which a free end of the surfacecovering is adapted to be positioned for being manually unrolled fromthe roll of surface covering onto the ground surface; (b) positioningthe roll of surface covering onto the base; (c) extending the free endof the roll of surface covering through the gap defined by the at leastone lower roller and the at least one upper roller; and (d) manuallyunrolling the roll of surface covering by manually pulling the free endof the roll of surface covering through the gap and manually depositingthe surface covering on the ground surface.
 10. The method according toclaim 9, and including the step of adjusting the space between the lowerand upper rollers to vary a width of the gap through which the roll ofsurface covering is extended.
 11. The method according to claim 10, andincluding the step of supporting the frame on wheels to facilitatemovement of the frame between surface covering installation locations.12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of providing aframe includes the steps of providing: (a) first and second lowerrollers positioned in laterally spaced-apart relation between the firstand second spaced-apart end panels; (b) first and second upper rollerspositioned in laterally spaced-apart relation between the first andsecond spaced-apart end panels and above the first and second lowerrollers to define the elongate gap through which the free end of theroll of surface covering is adapted to be manually extended and manuallyremoved from the roll of surface covering and applied to the groundsurface; and (c) space adjusters for adjusting the space between thefirst and second lower rollers and the first and second_upper rollers tovary a width of the elongate gap.
 13. A frame for cradling a roll oferosion control surface covering during installation onto a groundsurface while the frame is stationary and the surface covering ismanually unrolled from the roll of surface covering onto the groundsurface, comprising: (a) a frame having two spaced-apart end panels, abase extending between the end panels and adapted to support the rolledsurface covering, at least one lower roller connected to and extendingbetween the end panels and positioned at a predetermined distance abovethe base, at least one upper roller connected on each end to andextending between the end panels and positioned at a predetermineddistance above the at least one lower roller to define an elongate gapthrough which a free end of the surface covering is adapted to bepositioned for being manually unrolled from the roll of surface coveringonto the ground surface; (b) wherein the frame is utilized according toa method including the steps of: (i) positioning the roll of surfacecovering onto the base; (ii) extending the free end of the roll ofsurface covering through the gap defined by the at least one lowerroller and the at least one upper roller; (iii) manually unrolling theroll of surface covering by manually pulling the free end of the roll ofsurface covering through the gap and manually depositing the surfacecovering on the ground surface; (iv) adjusting the space between thelower and upper rollers to vary a width of the gap through which theroll of surface covering is extended; and (v) supporting the frame onwheels to facilitate movement of the frame between surface coveringinstallation locations.